教牧守則·對話錄與書信 第 754 章

Gregory to Anthemius, subdeacon of Campania. The bearer of these presents, Gallus, a shipmaster, by a petition offered to us, is known to have intimated, asserting that he had brought a certain boy coming from the parts of Sicily to the parts of Campania for the sake of prayer, who, joining him in the port of Misenum, there withheld himself in a monastery for the sake of conversion. When he here diligently inquired of the boy concerning his condition, on account of his own peril, so far as he asserts, with the bond of an oath intervening, the boy publicly professed with his own voice that he was free and bound to no condition. On whose behalf he complains that on his return he was constrained by the public agents, who demanded why he had presumed secretly to carry off a slave of the public law from those parts.

Who, after the losses inflicted upon him, has shown himself bound also by a written guarantee to recall the same boy, by whatever strength he can, to those parts. Wherefore, moved by the cause of piety, let your Experience know that we have decreed this: that it ought to recall to the parts of Panormus, where the matter is transacted, that same slave, even though he has already assumed the habit of a monk, and hand him over to Fantinus our defensor, so that he himself may salubriously carry out what ought to be done concerning him, according to the tenor of our injunction, the text of which your Experience too will be able to inform you.

From the bearer of these presents, therefore, we wish your Experience to receive a guarantee, who, taking that slave into his own hand from you, shall there in the city of Naples clearly pledge to you in writing on his behalf that he will hand him over to Fantinus our defensor without any excuse; so that, by this precaution going before, both the petitioner may be freed from the bond of his guarantee, and the cause of the slave may be disposed, as we have appointed, with the Lord's help.